It's the Thought that Counts
by Sporktacular
Summary: or, How Yagyuu Found His Swing. An explanation of the divergence between the manga and anime during the Rikkai arc.


When Yagyuu opened his front door, he found Niou hiding something behind his back. That was almost never a good sign.

"What are you doing here?"

"My dear Hiroshi, one might almost think you didn't trust me."

Yagyuu leaned against the door frame, arms crossed sternly. "I don't. What are you hiding?"

Niou clucked his tongue in disapproval. "Geez, can't a guy come over to wish his doubles partner a happy birthday? I didn't expect the Spanish Inquisition."

Yagyuu drummed his fingers against the crook of his arm and arched one eyebrow ever so slightly.

Niou stuck out his tongue. "Man, you are so not fun. Now turn around and get your ass upstairs so I can give you your present."

Yagyuu sighed and did as Niou directed. Resistance was futile, as the saying went, and it definitely applied to Niou Masaharu. "I'm going to regret this," he muttered.

"You usually do," Niou replied, grinning as he followed the taller boy up to his room.

Judging by the sound of it being dragged across the floor and thudding against each stair, Niou's gift was fairly large and heavy. Yagyuu had to admit that his curiosity was aroused. He normally didn't care what other people did as long as it didn't concern him directly, but he'd long ago learned that not being curious around Niou could be dangerous. He briefly cross-referenced items that matched the inferenced physical aspects of the mystery object with things that Niou would be likely to give him as a birthday present. The only result he could come up with by the time they reached his room was Kirihara knocked unconscious and stuffed in a sack. Which wasn't the worst present in the world, really, but when Kirihara came to, he would go running to Yukimura, and then Yukimura would have a talk with Sanada, and then Sanada would have a "talk" with Niou, and Yagyuu would be just as likely to get the crap kicked out of him as Niou; his fault for having a birthday and all.

He carefully set his laptop aside and sat down on his bed. "All right," he asked, preparing himself for the worst, "what is it?"

With a flourish, Niou produced from behind his back... a set of golf clubs.

Yagyuu stared at them as if they would turn into something comprehensible if he looked long enough, but they remained a set of golf clubs. _Used_ golf clubs, no less.

He looked up at Niou, who was smiling as if he'd just won Nationals single-handed. Or put super glue on the principal's chair.

"Why?" he managed to ask.

"Come on, you love golf!"

"I don't play golf. I've never played golf. I've never even _thought_ about playing golf."

Niou waved that aside. "Once you learn to play, I'm sure you'll love it."

Yagyuu adjusted his glasses and counted backwards from ten. "Niou, I realize I must ask you this question fairly often, but are you _insane?_"

Niou scowled. "Okay, so my dad was gonna throw 'em away."

"And you thought of me."

"Hell, yeah! It's like, all you need to complete this whole dweeb thing you got goin' on. And dude. Then, when we have a match, and some guy's like, 'Whoa, where'd you learn that killer shot,' you can be like, 'I got it from my _amazing golf skillz,_' and they'll be all like, _'WHUT,'_ and while their brains are all distracted trying to grasp the awesomeness of it, we'll sneak in and so totally own their ass! Great idea, right? Right?"

Yagyuu opened his laptop and went back to typing up his history essay.

Niou flopped noisily on the bed. "Man, I don't know why I even bother with you." He bounced a few times for good measure, but Yagyuu's typing continued unfazed.

"Funny, I was just thinking that exact same thing."

Niou huffed into the comforter and became relatively quiet, aside from the occasional restless turn or sullen snap of chewing gum. Yagyuu hoped that the other boy hadn't pilfered Marui's stash again, though he wasn't quite so gentlemanly as to be willing to return their teammate's emotional well-being if it meant giving up this unusual stretch of sanity. He even managed to get all the way up to the effects of Europe's industrial revolution on Japan before a familiar arm snaked around his waist.

"Wanna fuck?"

Yagyuu's expression didn't change, nor did he look away from his computer, but for the first time, his typing slowed momentarily.

"Let me finish this part first."

Niou grinned as his arm tightened around his partner. "Ho. But before you can get any, you're gonna have to say it."

"Say what?"

Niou jabbed him in the side. "You know what."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Yagyuu's eyes didn't flicker from the computer screen.

"Come on," Niou whined, "it's my birthday!"

"No, it isn't. It's _my_ birthday."

"Oh. Yeah. Right. Well, close enough. Come on, say it!" He resumed poking his doubles partner. "Say it!"

Yagyuu rolled his eyes. "'Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition,'" he intoned as his fingers clacked over the keys. "_Now_ are you hap-- Hey, my laptop!"

Those were the last coherent words that Yagyuu spoke on his birthday.


End file.
